Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-04-23

The Old Battle Ground Of Californian
Who Chose to Fight Duels-Origin o
the Name Oregon-Some Absurd Storie
About 1t shown to Be False.
Especial Correspondence
JACKSONVILLE, Ore, April g.
It Is a wild and tumbled and tumultuou
region hera The mountains and the cloud
make familiar companionship The wood
on these mountain tops are tangled with thu
clouds. They are dense and deep. You SEE
long, gray moss swinging from the tall
black fir trees, not unlike the moss on ths
cypress trees in the southern states. II is q
moist and misty region here. We are about
midway between San Francisco and Port
land, Ore, and about 100 miles inland from
the great Pacific ocean. But that 100 miles
is an almost impenetrable tumble of broken
mountains. These mountains are all set with
dense growth of fir and cedar and pine and
tamarack and spruce. And under these tall
and tossing trees, in their tangle Of clouds is
| a growth of vines AID chaparral that ti,.
| putes passage even with the innumerable viii
beasts. more sublimely savage spot is moi
| to be found on this continent than right H., re
Oh the mountain top, that serves a sort Of
wall between Oregon and California.
This range of rugged, wood clad sleeps is
called the Sis h-yon mountains This is an
Indian word, and bears the mean significatiop
Of "Bobtail HORSE" mountain But it is a
glorious, grand old eminence despite its pitt
ful name. The Indians have long since passed
away. They fought hard and long and died
IN battle mostly. Game is so plentiful since
the disappearance of the Indians that it is
hardly counted any achievement to kill a
wagon load of elk, deer and bear And the
fnrDriOJ1S StS ,,f
ture, such as California lions, panthcrs, cata-
mounts, and so on, are SO numerous that
farmers and stock growers whose pretty little
hures dot the foot hills all along on either
SIDE OF this savage mountain range find great
trouble i'll defending their hocks from their
depredations
But now that the railroad has reached here
from Oregon, and from California also. and
the last spike is about to be driven not ten
miles from this rugged mountain range. only
the hunter will find this paradise The brave
Roosevelts from New York will find the
grizzly here. And may be the grizzly will
ind the gallant Roosevelts. sincerely hone
so. This was the cd duelng ground for
California. do not think the pastoral Ore
gonians ever INDUCED in the luxury of shoot
ing at each other at the drop of hat to any
extent. But in the early days, when the line
between the two states was established only
by range OF mountains, the summit of
which could be foated a few miles either
way, as suited the convenience of ary duelist
arrested for murder only, the Cslitoruians
who acknowledged the code" found If a
first rate battle ground. And 1 might dwell
long on these absurd encounters here-sone of
them bloody enough, some of them ridiculous.
all of them despicable; but with all this sub.
unity about us-the black forests, the clouds.
hp ,oaacaFt,l ov,I f,,t IL
cares for these petty and pitirul duels of LONG
ago' The sooner they are forgotten the bet
ter A few little messy mounds of stone
some crude inscriptions chseled in the gran.
1te front of the great mountain-these are all
fhct remain to mark the dark and deadly
ID tEat ST.. should have found better
90, p'o. ,.ent and expression here When all
Ills land was new. Aud SO enough of this.
And what Is the meaning and origin of this
word and name Ore-gonl Let me tell yo,
lie whole history of it, For every recent
writer has been widely wrong, and it is
.e'y important that we know the true origin
# this beautiful NAME
To begin with, will notice some of the nh
"rd stories about the root of the name
hegon. The guide book which my fellow
"aveer carries, called 1.-THE Atlas of the |
i
derived from the Spanish, and means wild
hyme, so called on account of the herb |
ound here by early explorers Another
lueer guide book says: "The word is from |
he Spanish, and means people with big ears,n
Dut of all remarkable writers on this th.,oe |
have yet encountered, and they are very |
many, must say that the patriotic Irishman
VINO wrote a pamphlet to prove that the
'ame was given in honor of a countryman of
IF his by the name of O'Ragen is the mos,
Tho true meant G of the word Oregon is
Hear Tie wateis! And any traveller who
VIII pass up the Columbia river, a little way
Dove Nancouver-now pleasant little CITY
ut once great trading post-will see at
nee the significance of the name For here
he waters literally pour down out of the
LIQUIDS. They roar and flash and sweep con.
inually. Mount Hood hangs literally above
ou on the right as you pass up this gran,lest of
Il grand views. When the wind blows sbarn
Nj sudden around the sunny summit of thi,
irliine mountain and makes rift i'm thu.
'"ads, You can see the mountain is litsraIiv
ing over you and hanging above You in
'~ clouds. 1t looks as if it might blow over
81 fall down in the awful chasnl of waters
fore you. And it is the little rivers, made
.om melting snow, pitching their foamy
LUIS up"H Oub Vi the clouds Into the ynst |
aim bosom Of the Columbia, or OREGON
cer, which have given this sweet and sianif
ant name to the land You can hear thcsa
Iters continually when the wind is favor
ole all the way down to Vancouver
!e cid British trading post before
ferred to. And there can he no
'ubt at all about the origin of t,,t
lnie as have stated. For the English ne,,Jv
Ways respected the old Spanish names a1on
* Pacific, from Patagonia to Alaska A..
know of no single instance where tn,
'anged name when it had fitting par, .a
meaning. The first time | ever Ia.
liam Cullen Bryant, more than done.
'ais ago, perhaps, and before these ncgy al
{ kiess writers had become quite so runner.
Is, sse talked over this subject thoroughly
nj found him even moro Disguised than
yself at the bad taste and the Ignorance of
e times touching such matters l am not
rtain that Mr.. Bryant was a thorough
'anish scholar, but as lie seemed to know ,
think he knew the Spanish Ian
age. And then, as he spent a winter in
pxico City in the latter part Of L!s life. and
,eiieve had something to do with the GREAT
raFy there am pietty we'll f,arS,,,,,,,5 81.